‘Given its finances, T.N. will have to increase taxes’
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DMK govt. will not go back on poll promises, says Finance Minister
Taxes in Tamil Nadu have to be upwardly revised, given the State’s finances. But if someone says it will be increased today or tomorrow, it is wishful thinking, Finance Minister P.T.R. Palanivel Thiaga Rajan said on Thursday.
He said the State had gone bankrupt as it could not mobilise the revenue it had to.
To a question whether the White Paper was presented only to increase taxes and not to fulfil the DMK’s election promises, Mr. Rajan said the exercise was part of the government’s efforts at transparency. Besides, it was to inform the people of Tamil Nadu’s economic situation.
“Please wait for the Budget to be presented. Till then, I cannot answer hypothetical questions,” he said. However, he clarified that the DMK would not go back on its poll promises.
Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has advised the Ministers to first understand the real situation of the State, he said. “He asked us to then tell the people about the reality to trigger a civil discourse. Based on experts’ opinions and the people’s discourse, the government can chalk out its plan for course correction and then execute it. This is the democratic way [of handling important issues],” he said.
The Minister said he could not fully understand the schemes announced by former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in the Assembly under Rule 110. “I don’t understand why there was 30% to 40% variation between the revised estimates and the final accounts,” he said.
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